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2022 Annual Report

It is the mission of Florida TaxWatch to provide the taxpayers of Florida and public officials with high-quality, independent research and analysis of issues related to state and local government taxation, expenditures, policies, and programs. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on residents and businesses.

In 2022 Florida TaxWatch doubled down on guiding one of the world’s biggest economies through recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Each step of the way, Florida TaxWatch was at the forefront of Florida’s Recovery, monitoring developments in another year of unprecedented state budget growth.

Last year, The TaxWatch COVID-19 Taxpayer Task Force recommendations became the blueprint for a legislative session that saw a number of long-term Taxwatch issues handled in one bill: E-Fairness, the Business Rent Tax, and unemployment compensation fund restoration.

A significant amount of Florida TaxWatch research in 2022 focused on the everyday lives of Floridians, tackling issues in data privacy, workforce development, tax administration, education, and manufacturing.

Documents to download

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Florida’s Space Coast is Well-Positioned to Dominate the Future of the Aerospace Industry

Florida’s Space Coast is Well-Positioned to Dominate the Future of the Aerospace Industry

For more than 60 years, Florida’s Space Coast—anchored by Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS)—has served as a premier gateway to space, driving tourism, high-tech jobs, and statewide economic output. After major federal program shifts in the 2010s led to significant regional job losses, Florida’s modern commercial-space resurgence—supported by Space Florida’s strategy to diversify the supply chain, modernize infrastructure, and attract private capital—has positioned the Space Coast to lead the next era of aerospace growth.

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New General Revenue Forecast Adds $572.5 Million for the Next Budget

New General Revenue Forecast Adds $572.5 Million for the Next Budget

The General Revenue (GR) Estimating Conference met on January 23 to adopt Florida’s latest GR forecast—the estimate that tells lawmakers how much is available for the next state budget. The updated forecast adds $572.5 million to the amount available for the upcoming budget year, but while meaningful, it amounts to only about one percent of total GR collections.

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Clearwater’s Plan to Establish Its Own Municipal Electric Utility Puts Taxpayers at Risk

Clearwater’s Plan to Establish Its Own Municipal Electric Utility Puts Taxpayers at Risk

Florida TaxWatch examines the City of Clearwater’s plan to acquire Duke Energy Florida’s electric distribution assets and establish a municipal electric utility (MEU) in response to concerns over electric rates and service quality. While the City’s feasibility study projects modest short-term rate savings, Florida TaxWatch finds those projections rely on unrealistic assumptions—most notably an “overnight” conversion that ignores the likely decade-long, costly eminent domain process required to acquire Duke’s assets. Drawing on national municipalization case studies, the report highlights high failure rates, underestimated acquisition and severance costs, loss of economies of scale, and substantial financial exposure for taxpayers. Florida TaxWatch concludes that the proposed MEU represents a high-risk endeavor with limited upside and recommends the City pursue a renegotiated franchise agreement with Duke Energy Florida as a more prudent path forward.

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